Little Sister

. The Southeast Asian fare at Little Sister is served family-style, and the family of four at that table begins to dig in, excitedly passing plates around, when suddenly one of the children frantically yells, “Peanuts!” And everyone freezes. The father

forgotten how to behave.”The waiter takes the news in stride and gracefully whisks away three of the dishes. Little Sister opened last month at the Irvine Spectrum, the fifth-ish location of Vuong’s sultry, tropical-meets-urban brasserie. I say fifth-ish

branzino accented with glistening heaps of seaweed chermoula. — P.I.E. 416 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014, freehandhotels.com/los-angeles/the-exchange (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 68. Little Sister The menu at chef Tin Vuong’s Vietnamese-leaning

Sonoratown    Orsa & Winston    Bar Amá    Bäco Mercat    Hayato    Bavel    Rossoblu    Grand Central Market    Bon Temps    Bestia    Broken Spanish    Shibumi    Q    Nightshade    The Exchange    Little Sister    Badmaash   

My editor likes Little Sister Downtown an awful lot, you should probably know, and she has managed to eat there at least 15 times since it opened in late fall. Midday interview? Little Sister. Breakfast meeting? Little Sister. Supper with the kids

? Little Sister. If she could get away with it, I suspect she would probably edit the section from one of the sun-dappled tables up front in the narrow restaurant, away from the open kitchen and the paintings of helicopters and murderous butterflies. She is

tradition that showcases a range of techniques, presentations and seasonalities. 361 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, instagram.com/rebelomakase, 949-664-3186 Imperial rolls at Little Sister in Irvine (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 2

. Little Sister Chef Tin Vuong opened the original Little Sister in Manhattan Beach years ago. He’s opened several more since but none as beautiful as the one he opened this year at the Irvine Spectrum. It’s a rambling brasserie with tropical southeast

smash burger, topped with a grilled-to-order poblano chile, plus all the traditional garnishes of a classic American cheeseburger. 307 E. First St., Santa Ana, 714-617-4754, instagram.com/jugosacapulcowithwings Nem lui at Little Sister in Irvine (Photo

by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 8. Nem lui at Little Sister If there’s better nem lui in Orange County than the ones at Little Sister, I can’t find them. These are Vietnamese-style kabobs made with fatty ground pork and beef that’s

in the groves that the park now protects. (Patricia Escárcega / Los Angeles Times) What was it like to move to a new country? It was very hard. I walked my little sisters to school and we were regularly harassed by a group of neighborhood cholos who

space never had an alcohol license, but I hope the michelada recipe eventually makes the trip from La Puente too. ALSO:  Jonathan Gold’s 5 best L.A. burritos Breakfast congee, gangsta rap and Chinese doughnuts at Little Sister DTLA Head to Broken Spanish

the dish to try is uni-topped black risotto Little Sister Downtown has addictive lemon grass chicken, a gonzo banh mi and good congee

noodles. MORE In Venice Beach, the place to eat is Dudley Market, and the dish to try is uni-topped black risotto Little Sister Downtown has addictive lemon grass chicken, a gonzo banh mi and good congee At Josiah Citrin’s Charcoal Venice, the meat is meat

; bone marrow with feta and Campari; black risotto; nettle tagliarini; boudin blanc. MORE Jonathan Gold’s 101 best L.A.-area restaurants of 2015 Little Sister Downtown has addictive lemon grass chicken, a gonzo banh mi and good congee At Josiah Citrin’s